Find & Analyze Data

Directory of Law Enforcement Agencies Series

Investigator(s): Bureau of Justice Statistics

To ensure an accurate sampling frame for its Law
Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey, the
Bureau of Justice Statistics periodically sponsors a census of the
nation's state and local law enforcement agencies. This census, known as
the Directory Survey, gathers data on all police and sheriffs' department
that are publicly funded and employ at least one full-time or part-time
sworn officer with general arrest powers. Variables include personnel
totals, type of agency, geographic location of agency, and whether the
agency had the legal authority to hold a person beyond arraignment for
48 or more hours.